This was a facebook wall post of Mr Jimoh Odunayo,
Friends,
Let me add the benefit of my time as a student and then resident in the UK -
and I live in Lagos now. The first thing that I discovered about UK-born,
white, English undergraduates was that all of them did holiday or weekend job
to support themselves - including the children of millionaires amongst them. It
is the norm over there - regardless how wealthy their parents are. And I soon
discovered that virtually all other foreign students did the same - the
exception being those of us status-conscious Nigerians.
I also watched Richard Branson (owner of Virgin Airline) speaking on the
Biography Channel and, to my amazement; he said that his young children travel
in the economy class -even when the parents (he and his wife) are in upper
class. Richard Branson is a billionaire in Pound Sterling. A quick survey would
show you that only children from Nigeria fly business or upper class to commence
their studies in the UK. No other foreign students do this. There is no
aircraft attached to the office of the prime minister in the UK - he travels on
BA. And the same goes for the Royals. The Queen does not have an aircraft for
her exclusive use.
These practices simply become the culture which the next generation carries
forward. Have you seen the car that Kate Middleton the lass married to Prince
William drives? VW Golf or something close to it. But there's one core
difference in them and us (generally speaking). They - the billionaires among
them work for their money, we steal ours!
If we want our children to bring about the desired change we have been praying
for on behalf of our dear country, then please, please let's begin now and
teach them to work hard so that they can stand alone and most importantly be
content, and not have to "steal". This seems to be the norm these
days.
"30 is the new 18", which seems to be the new age for testing out the
world in Nigeria now. That seems to be an unspoken but widely accepted mindset
among the last 2 generations of parents in Nigeria . At age 18 years, a typical
young adult in the UK leaves the clutches of his/her parents for the
University, chances are, that's the last time those parents will ever play
"landlord" to their son or daughter except of course the occasional
home visits during the academic year. At 21 years and above or below, the now
fully grown and independent minded adult graduates from University, searches
for employment, gets a job and shares a flat with other young people on a
journey into becoming fully fledged adults.
I can hear the echo of parents saying, well, that is because the UK economy is
thriving, safe, well structured and jobs are everywhere? I beg to differ and I
ask that you kindly hear me out. I am UK trained Recruitment Consultant and I
have been practicing for the past 10 years in Nigeria . I have a broad range of
experience from recruiting graduates to executive director level of large
corporations. In addition, I talk from the point of view of someone with
relatively privileged upbringing.
Driven to school every day, had my clothes washed for me, was barred from
taking any part-time job during my A-levels so that I could concentrate on
studying for my exams?! BUT, I got the opportunity to live apart from my
parents from age 18 and the only time I came back home to stay was for 3 months
before I got married!
Am I saying that every parent should wash their hands off their children at age
18? No, not at all, of course, I enjoyed the savings that I made from living on
and off at my parent's house in London - indeed that is the primary reason for
my being able to buy myself a 3 bedroom flat in London at age 25 with absolutely
no direct financial help from my parents!
For me, pocket money stopped at age 22, not that it was ever enough for my
lifestyle to compete with Paris Hilton's or Victoria Beckham's. Meanwhile
today, we have Nigerian children who have never worked for 5 minutes in their
lives insisting on flying "only" first or business class, carrying
the latest Louis Vuitton ensemble, Victoria 's Secret underwear and wearing
Jimmy Choo's, fully paid for by their "loving" parents.
(to be continued)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
NINE THINGS WE LEARNT FROM APRIL 9
1. Jega is set to put his name in the history books
A free, fair and credible election by all standards, Jega, after taking all the stick for the hitches experienced en route the polls, would be showered with a lot of encomiums. He has 2 major hurdles to cross though: the presidential and governorship elections. Success in both and Jega becomes a national hero. Actually, he already is.
2. Free and fair elections is one which PDP loses
No more no less.
3. Nigerians crave change
After 50 years of poor governance which includes the last twelve years of imposition, manipulation and politricks, the populace stood up to be counted this time around.
4. Our votes counted
To you all who said your vote would not be counted, your vote was not counted because of one reason – you did not vote. I expect an impressive turn out come Saturday.
5. ACN remains a regional party
Yes, they swept the southwest. What happened to the rest of the country? If they are counting on the southwest in the forthcoming polls, they better forget it.
6. PDP remains a force to be reckoned with
I had tipped PDP to come crumbling like a pack of cards in a free and fair election. How wrong I was. The PDP had a strong showing nationwide. Despite losing most of the southwest, they gave the winners a good run for their money. In the other political regions, they still account for a large number of winners.
7. It was more about party than persona
My last piece was bordering on what line the electorate would toe in the forthcoming elections. INEC answered my questions at the arrival of ballot papers. Only the party logos were on the ballot papers. I did not know the people I voted for, though I am sure they have a broom. However, It’s going to be a totally different kettle of fish during the presidential polls.
8. There is only one way to fully overthrow PDP
MERGER. I took a critical view at the result from different constituencies. Statistics show that the total number of votes garnered by the opposition parties put together by far exceeds that of the PDP. These parties should put differences aside and make this political race more interesting. I see PDP having that edge in the presidential polls again.
9. We are forgetting to thank somebody
Everybody is screaming Jega! Jega! INEC! INEC! But I think there is one person we are forgetting to thank: President Goodluck Jonathan. Truth be told, the president created an enabling environment for Jega to operate. He gave all the support needed and promised Nigerians not only free and fair, but credible polls. The president has delivered. Random question: do you think Jega would have performed this good had …….. been in power? (I did not mention name o.)
PLEASE COME OUT AND VOTE ON SATURDAY, 16TH APRIL 2011. IT’S THE BIG ONE, THE PRESIDENTIAL POLLS. ONE MAN ONE VOTE. DON’T SELL YOUR VOTE. IT’S YOUR VOICE. HISTORY BECKONS.
Twitter: @oseroke
Facebook : facebook.com/oserokeigwubor
campusnigeria.com
Friday, April 1, 2011
2011 POLLS: PARTY OR PERSONA?
Ever since the political office seekers rolled out the campaign drums, I have been in a quandary as to which line to toe in the forthcoming elections, starting this Saturday. The question on my mind is, and remains, will I (and you) be voting for candidates based on political parties or personal capabilities.
Political parties are not what history told me they used to be. In those days, parties were identified by their manifestoes. The Second Republic readily comes to mind. UPN (Unity Party of Nigeria) was known for its free education programme while NPN (National Party of Nigeria) was known all over for its promise of provision of affordable housing. These days political parties have been transformed to political platforms – just look for a party that would give you the ticket to run for whatever post you desire. This is why we have an outrageous 63 parties.
Of the infinite incidents of cross-carpeting, one readily comes to mind – Atiku Abubakar. A vice-president for eight years on the platform of PDP, he decamped to his party’s fiercest rivals to actualize his presidential ambition. He called the ruling party unprintable names and vowed never to have anything to do with them again. Fast forward four years. Atiku was back in the PDP and even posed the greatest challenge to the sitting president in the primaries. Question is: if we have no shame, don’t we have pride?
A school of thought would say that it is the party that makes the candidate. In my opinion, it is pari passu. The Executive Governor of Lagos State comes in handy. There is no gainsaying that BRF has done a marvelous job in Lagos. “Marvelous” is actually taking some credit away from the man. But have you ever assumed he did not win his party’s flag for this election. Are you sure he would have won from another platform? Are you sure?
After twelve years of misrule and inept leadership, it still amazes me that the PDP still stands a chance in this election. Aside the power of incumbency (which, for the records, has never failed in Africa) the candidate they are presenting gives the party a major boost. A major reason, I feel, they had to jettison their zoning policy. Nobody is actually saying that they are voting for PDP, but I have heard countless people say they are voting for Goodluck Jonathan.
After all said, I would suggest a balance of both party and persona. Left to me, the right man to lead this country is Professor Pat Utomi: his intellect, his charisma, his vision is not rivaled by any other candidate in this presidential poll. A special adviser at age 27, Professor Pat has come a long away and has the ability to rule this nation. In the NEDG debate, he was outstanding and the most convincing. Unfortunately, his platform is so weak that I don’t know the name. he realized this after the debate and has since stepped down. So the candidate I would be voting for is…
Monday, March 21, 2011
AS 2011 APPROACHES
As 2011 approaches
Yes I know we are already in 2011. Infact the first quarter is almost over, but 2011 in the Nigerian lexicon is synonymous with the forthcoming elections, just as 2010 meant only one thing to the South Africans – the World Cup. I would be overstating the obvious by describing how pivotal 2011 is in the history of our beloved country. After 50 years of misrule and abject poverty, it is time for the Nigerian youth to stand up and be counted.
Whatever I have to say may sound cliché as you must have come across it both on electronic and print media. Go out, cast your vote, protect it and make sure it counts. The general perception is we don know who go win, no need to waste my time. This was the same comments our parents made that has put us in this precarious situation that we find ourselves now. This time around, we’d have nobody but ourselves to blame should we sit and watch mediocres take charge of our government for the next four years. I have a strong belief in the Jega –led INEC in spite of her shortcomings during the registration exercise. The election would not be perfect but we can contribute our own quota by coming out en masse to vote. We reduce the risk of rigging.
Their campaigns have been unconvincing to say the least. That must have been discouraging I must confess. The candidates have been unable to tell us, in details, what they would should they get into power. Those in power have been listing empty projects while those seeking to overthrow have been telling the whole world that those in power slept all through the four years. The debates have been too comic to convey any real meaning. I believe, though, that in the few weeks remaining we’d have no difficulty in making our choices.
I’m not here to root for any candidate. All I want is for the Nigerian youth to come out and vote for whoever he pleases. The plan to close all schools during the elections is another means the ruling party is trying to disenfranchise us and this we must resist. For crying out loud, most students registered in school. If the president did not learn anything from the closure of schools during the registration exercise, then there is a fundamental problem somewhere.
Our future depends greatly on the outcome of this election. Charlatans must not be made to taste power. Nigerian youths, it’s our time, let’s seize it .
IGWUBOR IN THE STUDIO
No o. Definitely not me. I love music. I love Nigerian music but not as a singer. I’m obsessed with the Choc Boiz but that doesn’t make me a rapper. Good news though. Rap runs in the family!
With great honour and tumultuous excitement, I present to you, 2 Medical doctors-cum-rappers from the University of Benin – XY and RAP RYDER!
I’d be bias a little. I’d talk more about XY – my blood brother!
A 300Level student of medicine, this is XY’s very first time on the mic, and he comes really good on this DJ Khaled beat. Nice metaphors, sick lines. I think we can only expect this dude to improve.
Rap Ryder has romanced the studio before and his delivery showed class also. It’s been ages we listened to such fast lyrics.
One thing that really fascinated me was the chorus. it was very professional and swaggerlicious IMO.
Listen and tell me what you feel. listen here or download from this link
Friday, March 4, 2011
MO, HITS TO WORK WITH KANYE WEST, JAY Z AND BEYONCE?
Too good to be true, right? But after that massive collaboration with Baba Aja Oluwasnoop, we shouldn’t take anything that comes from the Mo’ Hits for granted. 
In an interview with MTV Base behind the scenes of the Mr. Endowed remix, D’banj mentioned the possibilities of Don Jazzy producing for the likes of Kanye West, Jay Z and Beyonce! OMG!!
Doubting Thomases that would be wondering the authenticity of this should take a look at a tweet from Kanye to both D’banj and Don Jazzy three days ago which suggests there is really something concrete underground.
The Mo’ Hits are really taking African music (and entertainment) a notch higher and I hope and pray everything falls into place for this project.
The Grammys is getting near menn!! Where menn? Here menn!!
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